Academic years at the College are known as promotions. Each promotion is named after an outstanding European, referred to as the promotion's patron. The College of Europe shares this tradition with the French École nationale d'administration (ENA).
The opening ceremony each year is presided over by a prominent politician, referred to as the Orateur; they have included Angela Merkel, David Miliband, Jean-Claude Juncker, Javier Solana, José Manuel Barroso, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Juan Carlos I of Spain, Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand. Being invited as the college's Orateur is considered a high honour.
| Year | Name of promotion (Patron) | Students | Speaker at opening ceremony (Orateur) |
Notable anciens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2013 | Václav Havel | 443 | Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Bruges) & Vladimir Filat (Natolin) | |
| 2011–2012 | Marie Sklodowska-Curie | 435 | Giorgio Napolitano (Bruges) & José Manuel Barroso (Natolin) | |
| 2010–2011 | Albert Einstein | 434 | Angela Merkel (Bruges) & Štefan Füle (Natolin) | |
| 2009–2010 | Charles Darwin | 402 | Jerzy Buzek (Bruges) & Toomas Hendrik Ilves (Natolin) | |
| 2008–2009 | Marcus Aurelius | 376 | Yves Leterme (Bruges) & Hans-Gert Pöttering (Natolin) | |
| 2007–2008 | Anna Politkovskaya & Hrant Dink | 415 | David Miliband (Bruges) & Carl Bildt (Natolin) | |
| 2006–2007 | Nicolaus Copernicus | 418 | Jean-Claude Juncker (Bruges) & Alaksandar Milinkievič (Natolin) | |
| 2005–2006 | Ludwig van Beethoven | 385 | Javier Solana (Bruges) & Viktor Yushchenko (Natolin) | |
| 2004–2005 | Montesquieu | 404 | José Manuel Barroso (Bruges) & Josep Borrell Fontelles (Natolin) | Nikola Poposki |
| 2003–2004 | John Locke | 391 | Joschka Fischer (Bruges) & Danuta Hübner (Natolin) | |
| 2002–2003 | Bertha von Suttner | 370 | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Bruges) & Erhard Busek (Natolin) | |
| 2001–2002 | Simon Stevin | 365 | Aleksander Kwasniewski (Bruges) & Guy Verhofstadt (Natolin) | |
| 2000–2001 | Aristotle | 375 | George Papandreou (Bruges) & Jan Kulakowski (Natolin) | |
| 1999–2000 | Wilhelm & Alexander von Humboldt | 374 | Jacques Delors (Bruges) & Jean-Luc Dehaene (Natolin) | |
| 1998–1999 | Leonardo da Vinci | 337 | Jean-Luc Dehaene (Bruges) & Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (Natolin) | |
| 1997–1998 | Hendrik Brugmans | 326 | Antonio Guterres (Bruges) & Ursula Stenzel (Natolin) | |
| 1996–1997 | Alexis de Tocqueville | 319 | Wim Kok (Bruges) & Aleksander Kwasniewski (Natolin) | Ledi Bianku |
| 1995–1996 | Walter Hallstein | 306 | Klaus Hänsch (Bruges) & Jacques Santer (Natolin) | |
| 1994–1995 | Ramon Llull | 296 | Juan Carlos I of Spain (Bruges) & Andrzej Olechowski (Natolin) | Alexander Stubb, Alyn Smith (Natolin) |
| 1993–1994 | Stefan Zweig | 263 | Thomas Klestil | Geert Van Calster |
| 1992–1993 | Charles IV | 264 | Jacques Santer | Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Stephen Kinnock |
| 1991–1992 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | 212 | Flavio Cotti | Nick Clegg, Árni Páll Árnason, Luis Garicano, Miriam González Durántez |
| 1990–1991 | Hans & Sophie Scholl | 145 | Richard von Weizsäcker | Valerie Plame |
| 1989–1990 | Denis de Rougemont | 200 | Jacques Delors | |
| 1988–1989 | Christopher Dawson | 204 | Margaret Thatcher | David McWilliams, Sylvie Lucas, Gry Tina Tinde |
| 1987–1988 | Altiero Spinelli | 178 | François Mitterrand | |
| 1986–1987 | William Penn | 177 | Ruud Lubbers | |
| 1985–1986 | Christopher Columbus | 158 | Felipe Gonzalez | Chris Hoornaert, Margaritis Schinas |
| 1984–1985 | Madame de Staël | 123 | Altiero Spinelli | |
| 1983–1984 | Jean Rey | 133 | Garret FitzGerald | Marc van der Woude, Fiona Hayes-Renshaw, Carine Van Regenmortel, Christian Lequesne |
| 1982–1983 | Joseph Bech | 122 | Gaston Thorn | |
| 1981–1982 | Johan Willem Beyen | 123 | Bruno Kreisky | Xavier Prats Monné, Mary O'Rourke, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Margunn Bjørnholt, Peter Arbo, Bernadette Andreosso-O'Callaghan, Karl Cox |
| 1980–1981 | Jean Monnet | 131 | Simone Veil | Philippe Régnier |
| 1979–1980 | Salvador de Madariaga | 140 | Dries van Agt | Ursula Plassnik, Andrew Tyrie, Martin Donnelly, Marc Jaeger |
| 1978–1979 | Paul-Henri Spaak | 130 | Guy Spitaels | Thomas Mayr-Harting, Claudia Kahr, Bruno de Witte |
| 1977–1978 | Karl Renner | 128 | Mario Soares | Louise Fréchette, Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Holger Michael |
| 1976–1977 | Peter Paul Rubens | 120 | Leo Tindemans | Jonathan Faull |
| 1975–1976 | Adam Jerzy Czartoryski | 101 | Edgar Faure | David O'Sullivan |
| 1974–1975 | Aristide Briand | 111 | Herman De Croo | Simon Hughes |
| 1973–1974 | Giuseppe Mazzini | 92 | Karl Otto Pöhl | Manuel Marín, Ioanna Babassika |
| 1972–1973 | Richard N. Coudenhove-Kalergi | 59 | George Brown, Baron George-Brown | Jo Leinen, Poul Skytte Christoffersen, Jaap de Zwaan |
| 1971–1972 | Dante Alighieri | 58 | Altiero Spinelli & Hendrik Brugmans | Loukas Tsoukalis, Iwo Byczewski |
| 1970–1971 | Winston Churchill | 57 | Jean Rey & Hendrik Brugmans | Luc Coene, Niels Egelund |
| 1969–1970 | William II of Orange | 49 | Prince Albert of Belgium & Hendrik Brugmans | Berno Kjeldsen |
| 1968–1969 | Konrad Adenauer | 47 | Robert van Schendel & Hendrik Brugmans | Robert Verrue |
| 1967–1968 | Comenius | 54 | Alfons de Vreese | Nuala Mole, Helen Wallace, Lady Wallace of Saltaire |
| 1966–1967 | George C. Marshall | 56 | Jean Rey & Hendrik Brugmans | Goenawan Mohamad |
| 1965–1966 | Thomas More | 52 | Hendrik Brugmans | Adrien Zeller, Josef Joffe, Nigel Forman |
| 1964–1965 | Robert Schuman | 45 | Salvador de Madariaga & Hendrik Brugmans | Lars-Jacob Krogh |
| 1963–1964 | Thomas Paine | 48 | Hendrik Brugmans | Helmut Türk |
| 1962–1963 | August Vermeylen | 46 | Pierre Harmel & Hendrik Brugmans | György Schöpflin |
| 1961–1962 | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz | 37 | Hugo Geiger & Hendrik Brugmans | Albert Rohan |
| 1960–1961 | Saint-Simon | 38 | Hendrik Brugmans | Leif Terje Løddesøl |
| 1959–1960 | Sully | 43 | Hendrik Brugmans | Torolf Raa, Gabriel Fragnière |
| 1958–1959 | Fridtjof Nansen | 40 | Hendrik Brugmans | Franz Ceska, Frans Alphons Maria Alting von Geusau |
| 1957–1958 | Henry the Navigator | 40 | Hendrik Brugmans | Guy Spitaels |
| 1956–1957 | Raoul Dautry | 36 | Hendrik Brugmans | Jim Oberstar |
| 1955–1956 | Virgil | 33 | Hendrik Brugmans | Francesco Paolo Fulci |
| 1954–1955 | Alcide De Gasperi | 36 | Hendrik Brugmans | |
| 1953–1954 | Erasmus | 39 | Hendrik Brugmans | Ian McIntyre |
| 1952–1953 | Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk | 40 | Hendrik Brugmans | Jon Ola Norbom, Otto von der Gablentz |
| 1951–1952 | Juan Vives | 30 | Hendrik Brugmans | |
| 1950–1951 | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 35 | Hendrik Brugmans | Werner Ungerer, Gaetano Adinolfi |
| 1949 | Préparatoire (no name) | 22 | J. van Hoestenberghe & Salvador de Madariaga |
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Famous quotes containing the word promotions:
“For a parent, it’s hard to recognize the significance of your work when you’re immersed in the mundane details. Few of us, as we run the bath water or spread the peanut butter on the bread, proclaim proudly, “I’m making my contribution to the future of the planet.” But with the exception of global hunger, few jobs in the world of paychecks and promotions compare in significance to the job of parent.”
—Joyce Maynard (20th century)